The alleged ongoing military invasion and decimation of Ijaw communities by the Nigerian military under the guise of pursuing militants and oil thieves has been condemned by the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC).
It lamented that no fewer than 80 communities in Ijawland including the ‘sacred Egbesu’ shrine had been desecrated in the last fifteen years.
To this end, the council has resolved to institute legal action against the military over what it described as the various human right abuses perpetrated by their men posted to the Niger Delta region in the guise of fighting illegal bunkering.
National Spokesman of the umbrella body of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide, Ebilade Ekerefe, yesterday at a briefing in Yenagoa said nobody would have bothered if the military go after criminal pirates and kidnappers disturbing the waterways instead of transferring their aggression “on our defenceless people.”
His words, “The military dance, which they had tagged “the Python dance” at a point, is visiting heinous genocide and decimation on unarmed, defenceless and hapless Ijaw communities. These killings, maiming and burning down of communities by the Nigerian military at the slightest provocation of criminal elements is considered a threat to the peace and stability the region has enjoyed in recent years.